Concrete floor construction



Oct. l1, 1949.

R. L. DICKEY ET AL CONCRETE FLOOR- CONSTRUCTION Filed May 50, 1944 2/ /1755 INVENToR.

' Pla/.PH L. D/CKEY By Hamer/Vl EAN-Y Armer/5v5 Patented Oct. 11, 1949 Heghts,' Ohio, assignors to"Th'e. Kelley Island .Lime and Transport Company, 'Cleve1an'd,"'0hio,

acorporation ofOhio Application Mayf30, 1944, :Serial-Non538-,048

3 Claims. (Cl: 72;'70)

v-'Ihisf-invention relates to a floor construction for buildings and aims to provide a novel form of 11e-enforced concrete floor having awreticulated or expandedvmetal structure embodied therein and which can. be constructed more economically than concrete. doors. produced by the `use of conventional solici orv .imperforate metal pans or forms.

. As is understood by those skilled 1n the building industry,.meta1.pans of a'solid orimperforat'e sheet-metalconstruction are frequently used in constructing .conc-rete floors... These pans are supported in adjacent or continuous relation to :each-.other by-suitable shoring or Wooden frame so as. to provide a form or mold andthenpouring concretel over or intol such form or mold. .After the concrete has become sufdciently set and hard- .ened theshoring is removed and. .thepans are detached trornxthe concrete iloor structure 4for `further usev in constructing other floors. The

Arental for such pans. and the labor in removing the-same from the loor slab .amounts to a considerable item of expense. L L The present invention .eliminates the need'for the above-mentionedrental and removal of the s pans and', as another of its objects, providesan improved floor construction embodying a1et1c Aulated or expanded metal. structure vvhichdni tially forms a mold for the concrete and becomes permanently united with the .slab by being parv'- tially embedded therein.

Another` object of this invention is to provide a novel floorconstruction of this kind, in which kthe reti'culated metal members provided for thisrpur poseare of a shape to define. alternatevoids and concrete-receiving channels.

A further object. of this invention is to provide a,novelfloor 'structure of the character men- "tioned, in which a sheet material eXtending'sub- 'stantial'ly co-extensive With the reticulatedmetal structure forms a concretewetainingf medium.

Still another object of the invention is to pro- Yvide a novel door construction of this character,

-advantage in the building of concrete floors.

- Other objects. and advantages ofthe invention will be apparentfrom `the following description r.when vtaken in conjunction with the accompanying sheet of drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a .partial plan view showing reticulated metal members supported so as to constitute a form and which form is ready to receive'the concrete; Fig. 2r is a partial transverse sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a partial transverse sectional view on a larger vscale and Ishovvimythe floor after the con- "v60 '2` vcrete has been poured and the. shoring removed; Fig. 4 isa similar partial transversesectional View vshowing a modified .formfof our oor .construction having an acoustical facing or'ceiling on the under=side thereof; "i Fig. '5 is a partial transverse sectional vview similar to Fig. 4 but showing still another forni of our oor construction; and ""SFig. '6'is a 'detail sectional view taken` online 6-.6 of.Fig. t4 and "showing a fastening member employed in connection .with the acoustical-fac'- fing' or ceiling; -Proceeding'with amore .detained description ofthe'inventionand'referring particularly t'o the construction*illustrated in Figs. '1`t`o '3' inclusive, we `show a floor icomprising a concrete sla-b II and a reticulatedv metal structure 0r re-enforcng I2-Which initially .constitutes'a mold or formior the concreteA andzbecomes'*permanently united lwith the concrete slabat or .adjacent the undersidewthereof. As will be presentlyv explained in greater detailg the'rgeneral shape of the forni or 'mold 'provided by 'the metalv structure I 2` isv such that theunderside of the oor I0 hasintegral depending ribs or 'beams I3 thereon' with voidsVv i4 'between such ribs.r

The metal structure I2l comprises a plurality of 'elongated cllannel-shape'dy lreticulated. members or pansldsposed in' adjacent or'contiguous relation with* their 'channel recesses'forming dr dening' vthev voids` I4.'Y The members i5 'are `sup'- `ported` on- Isuitableshoring or Woodenframing so as-'to'extend insubstantially parallel relation to Yeach -ot-her "with -their laterallyv -extending flanges I'I in abuttingor overlapping relation. 'The-members I5 haveupright longitudinal Vside Walls I8- whichcforni thef'vsides of the voidsvI4 l'While the liattops or webs I9 formarches `which 'spanthevoids -Thesidefwalls'or vertical flanges I8 of the adjacent members or pans cooperatewith the lateral flanges Il -to denneconcrete-receiving channels r2i! for-form-ing'the Aribs orbeams Iton the underside ofthe floor Iii.

"Thefcharinel-shaped members or'- pans1 I5; as here shovvn, @eachhave two oftheparallel voids M therein Whioh'are separated byfalengitud-inally `'.:rnrtencling dependingflat-sided riborange' 2| of ysubstantially `the samefdepth as lthe (longitudina'l.A outersidewalls ISQJTl-'ie lowerfcdges of `the ribsiZ I- engage :the shoring I6 -sorthat theseribs y'form' an lintermediate supporting rmeans for the :atv tops.` I9. "Therlrib'sf Zi-can'- be' formed` as doubled or folded .pcfrti'ons ofthe members l5 or, if .-desired.: they can beiobtainedby constructing z.andi.arranging .thesezmmebers so that side Walls I8' of. adjacent vmembers vare inface--to-facerela.- tion.y

"The" 'channel-shaped members I5` areof 'a c"reticulated"c'onstniction, as indicatedv above; and 'vean' beim-ade from expanded `or iperoratedsheet .underside of such members.

and extending in a direction transversely of the The wires 22 extend as continuous" voids I4. strands across the lateral flanges Il andthe upright outer side walls I8 and also extend across the tops or arches I3 with depending` doubled por` tions 22a of such strands contained in the longitudinal ribs 2 I. The wires 22 are attached to the reticulated metal at spaced points therealong as by welding or other suitable attaching means."

The transversely extending re-enforcing wires 2,2-, y

extend in parallel relation to each other and are ,spaced at suitable distances longitudinally of the jchannel-shaped members I5.

Y As shown in the drawing the channel-shaped `members I preferably also include a concreteretaining medium in the form of paper or other suitable sheet material 23 extending over the The sheet material 23 follows the shape or contour of the voids I4 as shown in Fig. Zand can be attached to the :underside of the reticulated metal by suitable connecting means such as strips 24 of asphalt applied thereto and which serves as an adhesive.

lWhen the depending longitudinal rib 2I is formed by doubling the reticulated metal upon itself,v as

above mentioned, the sheet material 23 preferably extends around the outside of such rib as shown in Fig. 2.` f

In using the members I5 in constructing a floor or the like, these members are placed in adjacent or contiguous relation to each other onl e the shoring or wooden frame I6 so that they dene a form or mold onto which the concrete can be poured for forming the slab I I. In Figs. 1 and 2V we show a plurality of the members I5 arranged in such contiguous relation with their voids I4 extending parallel to each other and with the paired side walls I8 defining the concrete-receiving channels 20. The members I5 are preferably attached to the shoring I6, as by means of nails or, other suitable connecting members 26 extending therethrough, so as to hold the members against shifting on the shoring. When the mem- Abers I5 have been thus arranged and secured on the shoring I6 they form a structure Awhich is 4capable of supporting the weight of Workmen who find it -necessary to walk on such members in connection with the construction work or in con Anection with the placing of rods, conduits and other members which are to be embodied in the floor structure. Y

YWhen the members I5 have been placed and secured in the desired relation, as just explained above, the concrete is poured or otherwise distributed over the structure so as to i'lll the channels 26 and extend over the arch portions I9 to a desired depth for forming the concrete slab II. The concrete which lls the channels forms the correspondingly-shaped ribs or beams I3 'on the underside of the floor structure. When the concrete is poured or distributed over the members I5 a small'amount of the concrete passes through the openings of the metal structure I2 .but is prevented from dropping entirely through comes set and hardened the metal structure comprising the channel-shaped members I5 will be permanently united with the slab II and willlie at or adjacent the lower side thereof. The struc ture I2 will thus be embedded, or partially embedded, in the concrete and will constitute a metal re-enforcing means therein.

After the lapse of a suitable period of time for the concrete to become sufficiently hardened, the shoring I6 is removed and the projecting ends of the nails or fastening members 26 can be clipped oi. The paper or other sheet material constituting the concrete-retaining medium 23 is preferably left on the underside of the slab although, if desired, this medium could be stripped from the floor structure.

It will be understood, of course, that the above described channel-shaped members I5 can be of any desired size or shape depending upon various factors or requirements in the handling or fabricating of these members and upon various factors or requirements of the concrete slab of which they are subsequently to become a part.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings, we have shown a floor 36 of a construction similar to that above described but in which a facing or ceiling 3| has been applied to the underside thereof. The ceiling 3l may comprise a generally at backing structure 32 formed of conventional metal lath and one or more coats of plaster 33, 4preferably an acoustical plaster, applied to such backing. vIn obtaining the modied construction illustrated in Fig. 4, the backing material or lath 32 is placed on the shoring I6 before the channel-shaped members I5, which constitute the, metal structure I2, are placed thereon. The backing 32 is preferably attached to the metal structure I2 by suitable clips or fasteners 34. The fasteners 34 lare applied to the metal lath 32 so that when the channel-shaped members I5 are placed thereon, the arms 35 of such fasteners will extend through the latter and can be bent or clinched, as shown in Fig. 6, for uniting the backing with such channel-shaped members. The backing 32 can also be wired or otherwise connected to the bottoms of the re-enforcing ribs 2|. The fasteners 34 preferably also have a prong or tang 36 thereon which can be driven or pressed into the shoring I6 for holding the metal structure I2 and the backing 32 against shifting on such shoring during the building of the floor. The prongs 36 are preferably of a length such that when the plaster 33 has been applied to the backing 32, they will be concealed in the plaster.

In the modified construction of. Fig. 4, as just described, it will be seen that the facing or ceiling 3I extends across the bottoms of the depending ribs 2I and the concrete-receiving channels 20 by spanning the voids I4. The face or ceiling 3| thus provides the underside of the floor with a neat and nished appearance and has heat-insulating and sound-absorbing properties. The acoustical plaster 33 can be any one of various plasters having these characteristics, for example, it can be a plaster having numerous cells or bubbles therein such as the acoustical plastere disclosed in co-pending application Serial No. 439,876, led April 21, 1942, now abandoned.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings we show another form of our floor construction which is substantially identical with that of Fig. 4 except that the backing structure 38 of the facing or ceiling 39 comture l2 of the floor slab l I by the use of suitable fasteners such as the above described clips 35.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing it will now be readily understood that we have provided a novel floor construction comprising a concrete slab and a reticulated metal structure which initially constitutes a form or mold for the concrete but becomes permanently united with the slab at or adjacent the underside thereof. It will also be seen that when it is desired that the iloor have sound-absorbing and heat-insulating qualities, these features can be readily obtained by the application of a soundabsorbing and heat-insulating facing or ceiling thereto in the manner explained above. Ftuthermore, it will now be understood that our invention also provides a form of novel construction which can be used to advantage in the building of concrete floors or the like.

While we have illustrated and described our novel floor construction in more or less detail, it will be understood, of course, that we do not wish to be correspondingly limited inv scope, but regard our invention as including all changes and modifications coming within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a floor construction, a structure comprising a plurality of elongated members formed of expanded metal and having transverse web and depending side wall portions defining an upwardly arched cross-sectional shape, said members being disposed in contiguous substantially parallel relation with side wall portions of adjacent members defining concrete-receiving channels therebetween and the side wall portions with the web forming intervening voids, the transverse webs of said members having doubled portions intermediate said depending side wall portions and forming depending longitudinal ribs of a depth substantially equal to the depth of said depending side wall portions, a facing of imperforate sheet material connected to said members and disposed relative thereto so as to lie closely adjacent to but wholly beneath the said members and to substantially follow the cross-sectional shape dened by said web, rib and side wall portions, and a slab of concrete extending over said voids and substantially filling said channels, said members being adapted to be supported so as to initially constitute a mold for said concrete in which said longitudinal ribs support said transverse web portions at an intermediate point thereof and said imperforate sheet material forms a retainer for the concrete and said members being permanently united to the underside of said slab by being partially embedded therein.

2. In a iioor construction, a structure comprising a plurality of elongated members formed of expanded metal and having transverse web and depending side wall portions defining an upwardly arched cross-sectional shape, said members being disposed in contiguous'substantially parallel relation with side wall portions of adjacent members defining concrete-receiving channels therebetween and the side wall portions with the web forming intervening voids, the transverse webs of said members having doubled portions intermediate said side wall portions and forming depending longitudinal ribs of a depth substantially equal to the depth of said depending side wall portions, reinforcing wires lying on one side of said `expanded metal and attached thereto, said 6 wires being spaced apart longitudinally of said members and extending transversely thereof and following the cross-sectional shape defined by said web, rib and side wall portions, substantially imperforate sheet material connected to said members and disposed relative thereto so as to lie closely adjacent to but wholly beneath the said members and to substantially follow the cross-sectional shape dened by said web, rib and side wall portions, and a slab of concrete extending over said voids and substantially filling said channels, said members being adapted to be supported so as to initially constitute a mold for said concrete in which said longitudinal ribs support said transverse web portions at an intermediate point thereof and said imperforate sheet material forms a retainer for the concrete and said members being permanently united to the underside of said slab by being partially embedded therein.

3. A form for use in concrete floor construction comprising an elongated member made of expanded metal and having transverse web and depending side wall portions dening an upwardly arched channel-shaped cross section, the transverse web of said member having doubled portions intermediate said depending side wall portions and forming a substantially dat-sided double-thickness depending longitudinal rib lying in a substantially vertical plane of a depth substantially equal to the depth of said side wall portions and adapted to support said transverse web at an intermediate point thereof, a plurality of longitudinally spaced reinforcing wires lying on one side of said expanded metal and attached thereto, said wires extending transversely of said member and following the channel-shaped cross section defined by said web, rib and side wall portions and including depending double-thickness portions extending into said rib, and substantially imperforate sheet material attached to said member and disposed relative thereto so as to lie closely adjacent to but wholly below the expanded metal and following the channel-shaped cross section defined by said web, and'side wall portions and including substantially at sheet portions lying against opposite sides of said rib and a connecting portion for said sheet portions extending around the lower edge of said rib.

RALPH L. DICKEY.

HENRY M. BEATTY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 751,094 Murphy et al Feb. 2, 1904 1,170,743 Evers Feb. 8, 1916 1,180,125 Ford Apr. 18, 1916 1,268,903 White June 11, 1918 1,897,842 Herbest, Jr. Feb. 14, 1933 1,958,933 Williams May 15, 1934 1,976,395 Herbest, Jr Oct. 9, 1934 1,972,361 Shaffer, Jr Sept. 4, 1934 2,083,371 Greulich June 8, 1937 2,285,165 Logeman June 2, 1942 2,358,147 Colburn Sept. 12, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 34,107 Sweden 1911 680,597 France Jan. 22, 1930 

